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MEET MEL GILDEN (2/2011)
by Bonnie O'Brian

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

Mel Gilden

Early on, Dad read the Sunday funnies to my brothers and me, including appropriate voices and sound effects.  Mom read to us at bedtime -- strange stuff that nobody reads much anymore: YOUNG PURITANS OF OLD HADLEY, and THE FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND HOW THEY GREW.  When I started school, I read a lot of picture books until one of my teachers -- I wish I could remember her name -- encouraged me to read books with chapters.  The Dr. Dolittle books were only the beginning.  Mostly I read science fiction novels and short stories, many from the adult section.  The first book I purchased with my own money was THE WAILING ASTEROID by Murray Leinster.  It cost 53¢ new including tax.  I was never sorry I made that investment, and I still have my copy.

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

I did.  It wasn't that I thought I could do better than the writers I was reading.  At that early stage, I don't think I saw writing as a career, but only something fun to do, and to amaze the adults with my imagination.  When I entered junior high school my grandmother bought me a typewriter.  It was the typewriter that pushed me over the edge; now I could submit stories.  I did not sell a story for many years, but I did collect many rejection slips -- one or two actually signed by the editor.
     
When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career? (or a career in illustrating? or just art in general?)

I was, but only with short stories.  A novel seemed like an overwhelming project.  But with the encouragement of friends I wrote a tome entitled THE ELECTROPOMORPHIC MAN.  It wasn't very good, but I did finish it, which I thought was an accomplishment.  In those days I was still living at home, and because I frequently wrote after everyone else had gone to bed, I set up my typewriter in the bathroom and wrote with the door closed.
 
Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

The first novel I had published was called THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN CONQUER.      It was about a kid who saves his father and the world with the help of old people who are fans of an old TV show.  It was based on a premise I had submitted to an animated TV show and been rejected.  The novel itself was rejected a few times.  It was accepted at last, though I had no agent -- an event that would be impossible these days.  After selling the novel, getting an agent was easy.
 

What are the topics are some of your books?

Most of my stories about a normal kid who is bored with his life.  Then he is dragged screaming and kicking into an adventure that changes his life.  I think writing to entertain is just as important as writing about some difficult social problem.

Do you focus on fiction or nonfiction? Which do you prefer? Do you find one easier than the other?

I generally write fiction because I don't have to look up stuff.  On the rare occasions when I write nonfiction it is usually about a subject I already know intimately, such as my own life.  For instance, I write a weekly blog < www.melgilden.com>, and also contribute to a party planning website < http://partyknowitalls.wordpress.com>.
 
Where do you get your ideas?

Sometimes I tell people I get my ideas from a PO Box in Schenectady, but that's just a joke.  The truth is I get my ideas from the world around me.  Sometimes ideas come from words or phrases that I mishear or misspeak myself.  Occasionally, an idea will come from an event that occurred when I was a child.  The trick is often not where ideas come from but what to do with them once you have them.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

If I must.  But more often I might work on something short and something long at the same time.  I like writing long stuff because I don't have to come up with new projects all the time.  But finishing something always gives me a high I can't get any other way.
 
What are you working on now?  When do you expect to start submitting it to publishers?

I am working on the third book in a series I have not yet sold.  Silly, I know, but I enjoy writing about this kid who thinks he is a spy like James Bond, and I hope that someday some publisher will enjoy it as much as I do.  No title yet.
 
Do you like to include humor in your stories? Or adventure? Or mystery?

I include what seems to be appropriate for the story I want to tell, though usually it does involve all those things: humor, adventure, and mystery.
 
Has anyone ever written you a fan letter that you’d like to share?

Some years ago I received a fan letter for a Star Trek novel I wrote.  But it wasn't the usual fan commentary about how much they loved it or what mistakes I'd made describing the Star Trek universe.  It was a very serious and heartfelt letter from a girl who had recently lost a close friend to some terrible disease.  She told me that the adults around her didn't understand why she was so depressed, and encouraged her to buck up.  According to her, my Trek novel comforted her in ways that I had not imagined when I was writing it.  Who knew?  I just thought I was writing a book about a TV show.